>> GLOBE, DUPONT, and the NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) announced the Cape Ferrelo Rural Fire Protection District (Brookings, Oregon) and the Stratton (CO) Volunteer Fire Department as the second round of winners in the 2014 Globe Gear Giveaway. Each department will receive four sets of new Globe turnout gear. The 2014 program will provide a total of 52 sets of turnout gear to 13 departments who demonstrate a need for gear. To be eligible, departments have to be all- or mostly-volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be legally organized in the U.S. or Canada, and be a member of the NVFC. Additional awards will be made each month through December. www.globeturnoutgear.com. www.dupont.com. www.nvfc.org.
>> The NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) honored former NFPA President James M. Shannon with the first James M. Shannon Advocacy Medal, which was established to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to fire loss through advocacy. The Medal Selection Committee considers several criteria, including the impact of the individual’s efforts toward NFPA’s mission-reducing fire loss-and the extent to which the efforts are collaborative beyond NFPA. Shannon concluded his 12-year tenure as NFPA president in June with an exceptional record of advocacy to reduce fire loss. He spearheaded the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, which quickly led to all 50 states passing legislation requiring that cigarettes meet a specific fire safety standard. www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
>> ADVANCED FIRE SYSTEMS was selected to protect critical infrastructure along a 1,600-kilometer (km) Sudanese oil pipeline. Control buildings and pumping stations along the pipeline, which play an important part in the country’s infrastructure, are being protected by Advanced’s Axis EN intelligent fire systems and ExGo extinguishant control panels. The Sudanese Petroleum Pipeline Company commissioned Globaltec Security & Safety Systems, who are working with Advanced’s partner, AIRfire Worldwide, to install fire protection and suppression control right along the double pipeline, which runs 800 km from Khartoum-the country’s capital-to Port Sudan. Advanced products were selected for their reputation for quality, ease-of-use, and reliability. www.advancedco.com.
>> The INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS (IAFC) and PIERCE MANUFACTURING INC. announced Volunteer Chief Chris Barron of the Manchaca (TX) Volunteer Fire Department and Career Chief Alan J. Martin of the Tuscaloosa (AL) Fire & Rescue Department as the 2014 winners of the annual “Fire Chief of the Year” awards. Barron (Volunteer) and Martin (Career) were selected by a committee appointed by the IAFC and honored for their dedication and leadership in fire and emergency services. www.piercemfg.com.
>> OCALA (FL) FIRE RESCUE Faculty Executive Officer James Williams IV and Chaplain Joe LaCognata were honored for their outstanding work as first responders by radio station 97.3 (WSKY) at The SKY Valor Awards. Williams was nominated after he came to the aid of a medically distressed woman until paramedics arrived while participating in the Spacecoast Marathon at Cocoa Beach, Florida. Only after care had been transferred did he complete the final two-mile stretch of the 26.2-mile marathon. LaCognata was honored for his daily, exceptional dedication and selflessness. www.ocalafl.org/firerescue.
>> TARGETSOLUTIONS, the industry’s leader in online training and records management, awarded Captain Chip Everett of the Oshtemo Township Fire Department (OTFD) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with the 2014 Training Officer Recognition Award. The award acknowledges exemplary conduct befitting a training officer. Everett was nominated by the OTFD for numerous instances where he had gone above and beyond including his work to help standardize training throughout the county, working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology committee, attending the National Fire Academy and train-the-trainer classes to improve his delivery techniques, and many other contributions to the department’s training program. www.targetsolutions.com.
>> The UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS Health Science Center in Houston was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to test the effectiveness of an online health and wellness program intended to improve volunteer firefighters’ nutrition and fitness and reduce their risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. The internet and mobile-based health and wellness program titled “The First Twenty” will focus on educating and changing the behaviors of volunteer firefighters about fitness and nutrition. The program was designed by a volunteer firefighter and is built around firefighters’ lifestyle. The National Volunteer Fire Council will also take part in the recruiting process and support for this project. www.uth.edu.
Fire Engineering Archives
